Dear Sir
As people will be aware there has been a substantial amount of media regarding the vote to not extend free school meals into school holidays, we have not voted to stop all free school meals as some writers imply, and I have explained this vote in more detail in my column. The significant government support into the welfare system is better targeted than this specific emotive agenda.
However, I have to register my disappointment at the way some local Labour politicians are using our children to score political points and in particular posting pictures of me supporting our local pubs in recent weeks as being apparently representative of me not supporting our children. It’s like saying because I support trains I don’t support coaches!
I would just ask that anyone looking at any Labour Party output regarding this issue to consider all of the facts from independent sources, not just the emotive and misleading hype pushed out by some of them in the last few days.
Paul Howell MP
Member of Parliament for Sedgefield
